More User Reviews:

The label says 8.4% and bottled on 11/14/11. It has some of the traditional dark fruit and caramel malt aroma, with a licorice edge. But the flavor is a little more American and clean, with toffee and a little cocoa barley over a hint of cherry. As the beer warms, I taste some higher alcohols, but otherwise this is a fine stab at the doppelbock style. I'd drink it alongside a Spaten Optimator any day (though this has more body.

This brew pours a super hazy chocolate red color with little khaki colored head. The smell is spicy with just a bit of a banana like wheat base. The smell also includes a bit of sweetness.

Glug glug glug

The flavor is malt with a sharp kind of spiciness, but the spices are mellow, not really heating in any way. There is a good roasted malt character at the end. Overall this is better than the first bottle I opened in the 4-pack, which for some reason smelled like a lambic gone bad. This one shows a less sweet side to the style which isn't bad. Tea...tea is a flavor in this i can spot as well.

Poured from a brown 12 oz. bottle. Has a very dark brown color with a 1/2 inch head. Smell is malty, some sweetness. Taste is also big on malts, bready, some caramel, alcohol is present. Feels medium bodied in the mouth and overall makes for a quality beer.

Pours a moderate brown color with a thin head and not too much in the way of lacing. The nose carries some light caramel malt and a bit of bread. Quite tame. The flavor is really quite blend with none of the deep maltiness I expect from a good doppelbock. Medium body with adequate carbonation. Nothing special here.

My man, local in-person trader, Tone77 brought this by for me and I see that his review will be right below mine. Many thanks!

From the bottle: "Dark & rich with a big beer taste, Doppelbock is an exceptionally smooth, full-bodied dark lager with a bold character that is sure to brighten your spirits. Doppelbock is brewed with strict adherence to the Reinheitsgebot, the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516."

I got a finger of fizzy, mocha-brown head from my pour, but alack and alas, it did not hold up for very long. Color was a deep dark-brown with ruby/garnet highlights. Nose was rich and malty, very caramel and chocolate. Mouthfeel was medium and the taste was initially hot, followed by a rich caramel flavor that I began to doubt my sanity at having begun the day with this one. Warming, it took on more of a toffee/molasses flavor. The heat remained evident on the finish and I was beginning to contemplate lying back down after this. Proceed with caution at your own risk!

M - Medium carbonation, with a medium-thin body. Could be a bit fuller.

O - This no Ayinger Celebrator but it is a decent representation of the style. Annapolis is my hangout and I do like the Ram's Head and Fordam beer. Give this one a try at the brew pub in December on tap if you are in town. It is better than its bottled version.

Pours a deep, dark brown that borders on blsck at certain angles. The half-finger foamy head dies away quickly, leaving little-to-no lacing behind. The aroma is laden with molasses, malts, a hint of chocolate, and an overriding sweetness. A tinge of sourness comes through as well. The taste brings this sourness out, but quickly pushes it aside in favor of that malty sweetness these bocks are known for. The chocolate and molasses from the nose are transmogrified slightly into a brown-sugary flavor, with a deep hint of cinnamon and nutmeg. The moderate body with a hint of slickness makes for a palatable and drinkable brew.

Poured from 12 oz bottle into dimpled glass. Deep dark brown coloured body with a slightly ruby tinted body and a nice sized, fast-dying tan head. Aroma of roasted malt, alcohol, metal, nuts, cherries and some nice subdued oak. Full-bodied; Robust malty and nutty flavours come through with some raisins and pit fruits along with a touch of metal near the end. Aftertaste is rather sweet, with some bitter malt and nuts. Overall, a good dopplebock, more on the sweet side, but the alcohol comes through and some nutty flavours dominate at the tailend. Perfect after a cold day of riding.

Poured this dopplebock out of a 12 oz. twisty. I've walked on stranger worlds than this one, but not many. It's a nice deep born with great ruby highlights and a thick tan head. Head fades fast and leaves no lacing.

Aroma of burnt sassafras, spiced figs, some nice bready notes. Taste is warm with alcohol laced prunes, some nice fruitcake spice in the middle, interesting but not deep or complex. Finishes warm and dry, then lingers for a bit.

Not a huge body, almost thin at first but it becomes substantial as it passes over the tongue. It's drinkable yes.

Easy to enjoy without having to think too much about it. There's not a lot going on but there doesn't need to be. I think it's a decent example of this style.

pre-review note: I drank this one immediately after finishing a Samuel Adams Imperial Series Imperial Stout.

A: Clear dark brown. Thin head that dissipates quickly and leaves no lacing.

S: Sweet malts on the nose. Inviting thus far.

T&M: After the SA Imperial Stout, I sensed no alcohol and only the sweet dark malts. The mouth feel was surpisingly not too thin as expected from the looks of the pour compared with the SA Imperial Stout. All in all a surprisingly good tasting beer, albiet very sweet on the palate, which may not appeal to all beer drinkers.

D: I'd say it's a good example of a doppelbock that is more sweet malt forward than an alcohol bomb as some import Doppelbocks can be. I'd recommend it.

I got a four-pack of this to replace my stepfather's Spaten Optimator which I had ravaged whilst house- and turtle-sitting.

Poured into a wide-mouth glass. Appearance is a murky, translucent ruby/copper with virtually no head. What initially appears to be some faint lacing has no staying power, and after a few moments only the naked liquid remains. At first I couldn't help but think that my drink looked kind of ugly, especially with some miserable strands of would-be foam floating on the surface, but once I put it up to the light and assessed it closely, it looked respectable enough.

Upon first whiff I detect a vague fruity sweetness of a minimally processed variety, but this quickly fades. I was hoping to identify these scents more precisely, but as early as the second attempt at doing so I was left with a seemingly odorless beverage. That first whiff didn't seem like much at the time, but in frustrating retrospect gave me all I had to work with, and seemed relatively intense.

These early foibles are somewhat excused upon my first taste: raisins, currants, and prunes to a pleasing if somewhat timid degree (I wouldn't mind a more assertively fruity profile) with some molasses and noticeable though far from offensive alcohol, particularly in the finish. Not an especially complex or smooth brew; the flavor scores points (relative to the aroma) just for showing up, but is abrasively sweet, almost as if a sachetful or three of Domino were stirred into a glass of prune juice.

Mouthfeel is a bit forgettable: light-to-medium bodied, minimal carbonation. As another reviewer mentioned, it's rather watery and if you're the kind of drinker who prefers your beer to coat your mouth, you'll be left feeling a bit cheated. I'm doubtful that this one meets the "meal in a glass" criterion for the style.

Sweetness notwithstanding, drinkability is conversely quite high.

A decent enough interpretation of the style, although next time I think I'll just reach for another Optimator.